A Washington Post report claims 15 female former employees were subjected to sexual harassment between 2006 and 2019
Friday 17 July 2020 18:18, UK
The NFL has confirmed it is investigating the "serious, disturbing" claims of sexual harassment at Washington.
A report in The Washington Post quoted 15 female former employees who said they were sexually harassed during their time with the team.
The Post's report has detailed dozens of instances of alleged sexual harassment and verbal abuse, citing interviews with more than 40 current and former employees, including the 15 women, as well as text messages and internal company documents.
The allegations, which span from 2006 to 2019, primarily include inappropriate sexual comments, unwelcome overtures and pressure to wear revealing clothing.
In a statement, the NFL said: "These matters as reported are serious, disturbing and contrary to the NFL's values. Everyone in the NFL has the right to work in an environment free from any and all forms of harassment.
"Washington has engaged outside counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations.
"The club has pledged that it will give its full co-operation to the investigator and we expect the club and all employees to do so.
"We will meet with the attorneys upon the conclusion of their investigation and take any action based on the findings."
It comes after owner Dan Snyder hired a District of Columbia law firm to investigate the claims and to review the team's culture, policies and allegations of workplace misconduct.
Within the past week, three members of the front office have left the the franchise - director of player personnel Alex Santos, assistant Richard Mann II and longtime broadcaster and senior vice president Larry Michael with the latter announcing on Wednesday he was retiring after 16 years.
In a statement, Washington said it "takes issues of employee conduct seriously and while we do not speak to specific employee situations publicly, when new allegations of conduct are brought forward that are contrary to these policies, we address them promptly."
Snyder also took to social media to issue his own statement, backing the independent investigation to '"not only avoid these issues in the future but most importantly create a team culture that is respectful and inclusive of all".
Washington are currently in the midst of several months of significant change. President Bruce Allen was fired at the end of the 2019 season, coach Ron Rivera was hired on New Year's Day and given control of football operations and the team announced this week it will drop the name Redskins after 87 years.
